Craftsman slim handle ratchets china.
- Thread starter wrenchr
- Start date
GoBlue
Well-known member
I agree.
GoBlue
Well-known member
Its sad...buts its really not about Sears sourcing ratchets from china, or Snap on ratchets that dont say USA on them, or all the chinese Mac. Its the industry as a whole. They are going to china as fast as they can. The weaker brands went in the last decade and now the big dogs are too. Craftsman is probably the most well known name in tools in the United States and Snap on is probably the most respected. Makes sense they are some of the last hold outs.
SMKS
Well-known member
Wow, it really ***** that these are now made in China. I know a lot of people rip on Craftsman, but I had always thought they would keep a core line of USA made tools. This makes me think it's only a matter of time before the sockets and raised-panel ratchets are all Chinese, too.
Most Sears stores should have rebuild kits for these, and I'm sure they still have USA made kits.
Well, these examples aren't too bad (except the toolbox), IMO.
Italian ratchet - I've had 3 of these badged as both MAC and Proto and I thought they were quite nice.
England screwdrivers - They seem pretty nice to me. Proto still sells USA made screwdrivers under their Blackhawk brand. I have a couple of them.
Spanish locking pliers - These are Grip-On pliers and very nice. I don't think there are any USA locking pliers anymore. The Grip-Ons are waaaay nicer than Chinese Vise Grips, IMO.
Most Sears stores should have rebuild kits for these, and I'm sure they still have USA made kits.
Well, these examples aren't too bad (except the toolbox), IMO.
Italian ratchet - I've had 3 of these badged as both MAC and Proto and I thought they were quite nice.
England screwdrivers - They seem pretty nice to me. Proto still sells USA made screwdrivers under their Blackhawk brand. I have a couple of them.
Spanish locking pliers - These are Grip-On pliers and very nice. I don't think there are any USA locking pliers anymore. The Grip-Ons are waaaay nicer than Chinese Vise Grips, IMO.
I had actually held out hope until I saw the picture of the 3/8" impacts made in China under the "Craftsman" mainline brand.
FWIW, the 255 pc sets on Black Friday still say "Made in USA" on the back. I might pick one up and keep it unopened, in case I ever have a son. Chances are it's not going to be long till those sets are made in China.
Hankdog1
Active member
Never have been a big fan of Craftsman myself. Bad luck with some electrical tools over the years leaves a bad taste in your mouth I guess. I know if you guys are looking for a tool line still mostly made here Wright Tools are really good. Have made a living with them for years and never had one break on me that wasn't my fault.
kippieland
Well-known member
Here's my take on this...I feel this is a move by a dying company. After the ordeal I went through to get my new toolbox from Sears.com and other unfortunate experiences...I think both of them (Kmart and Sears) will be lucky to make it. They are closing Kmarts like mad, they sell way to main things (where else can you get a bed, a lawnmower, exercise equip., tools, clothing, shoes, and toys) and they have a lot of products that ****. Also, I think they are trying to make Craftsman a brand name instead of a house name...I'm seeing their stuff in Costco and Amazon now. I am sad to hear this, but I think they have had problem way to long and their quality has suffered for it. Like someone stated on one of my topics..."so sad, just can't help but go bankrupt!"
archirelic
Well-known member
My biggest issue with this lies in the fact that Craftsman is still wanting U.S.A. prices for outsourced products. I have no "real" problem purchasing something made overseas, so long as I'm paying a price that's relative to its C.O.O., but to continue to pay U.S.A. pricing on recently outsourced products, I've just gotta shake my head.
hrwerkzeug
Member
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2011
- Messages
- 8
This is truly disappointing. I have the USA thin profile ratchets, and although I have upgraded to Snap-on, they were the ratchets I used when I first started wrenching and they were great ratchets. I am done with Craftsman and Sears.
diesel research
Well-known member
Like I mentioned earlier, it is actually cheaper than overseas pricing. (for this particular item only)
They say the future of the brand is in "licensing" as opposed to having items private labeled to spec. Similar to costco "snap on" by companies like allied and powerbilt. Or "GM goodwrench"
Companies will be able to "rent" the name. I don't have that article any more, but they were discussing how sears most valuable assets are it's brand names and how licensing looks attractive to them.
AZ_Catskinner
Well-known member
That Italian ratchet is the worst flex head I've ever owned - no detent, and that damned allen screw loosens up with alarming regularity. If I didn't have so much bound up in it (83 bucks) I'd throw it away.
The Brit screwdrivers aren't bad at all - I don't like the softness of the handles, as they get burrs on them real quick. I've only got a couple left, as I've been switching over to Kleins for everyday/normal use drivers.
The Spanish pliers are perfectly fine, but I did like the USA Protos better. I do really like the locknut on the adjusting screw, it's a nice addition. The old ones had better teeth though.
It's just a few more examples of USA companies not being so USA anymore.
archirelic
Well-known member
Makes sense.
kythri
Well-known member
relic7680
Well-known member
I have a set Craftsman Pro combos and a bunch of other CMan stuff from 2004 or earlier. All that served well (except for the telescoping magnet, but I was a little harsh on it). Last year I picked up a set of those black combos with the spline -type box ends only to discover that they were made in China. They're good for certain things, but are by no means my go-to wrenches. I guess anyone buying CMan these days really has to look out for the Asian product...
I have to wonder why Sears doesn't sell rebuild kits for their ratchets. I'd buy up a few for my thin profiles. Even a nominal amount, say $3. Yeah a few might end up on ebay but then people would be fixing their ratchets instead of swapping them out for new.
ibedayank
Well-known member
Gearwrench and craftsman are both made by apex....gee wonder why they look alike....
GearWrench Marketing
Apex Tool Group
14600 York Rd. Suite A
Sparks, MD 21152
United States
General Telephone: 800-688-8949
Fax Number: 800-234-0472
http://www.gearwrench.com/contact_us.jsp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danaher_Corporation#Divisions
http://apextoolgroup.com/brands/index.cfm
GearWrench Marketing
Apex Tool Group
14600 York Rd. Suite A
Sparks, MD 21152
United States
General Telephone: 800-688-8949
Fax Number: 800-234-0472
http://www.gearwrench.com/contact_us.jsp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danaher_Corporation#Divisions
http://apextoolgroup.com/brands/index.cfm
I just bought a bunch of **** at HF on wednesday. I had all craftsman in the past, but now that most of their stuff has gone to china, I might as well save cash and buy the HF stuff at 1/3 the price. Most of the stuff I got at HF is made in Taiwan and I'm quite satisfied with the quality.
I just hope I never break my Craftsman stuff. I probably won't want the replacement stuff.
I just hope I never break my Craftsman stuff. I probably won't want the replacement stuff.
I agree to a point. I grew up using Craftsman tools and they still are the most prevalent brand in my tool box. That's what my Dad used and I wanted to be like him so the brand holds some sentimental value with me.
Have I purchased tools at HF? Yes I have. What bothers me about Sears is that they are still leading consumers to believe that their tools are all made in the USA. If I'm going to buy Chinese or Taiwan made tools, I'm surely not going to pay made in the USA prices.
I haven't completely given up on Craftsman yet, but I have been looking at other brands to see what my options will be when that time comes.
It's not irony, it's price shopping.
Sears isn't lowering prices for off-shore production. As these new Chinese tools filter through the distribution chain, check the store. You'll have USA made tools right next to their Chinese replacements for the same price. Depending on which tool you pick up, Sears' profit margin varies.
Frankly, I was hoping all this Chinese **** would go into the Evolv line they created a few years ago. I would have been FINE with that. If Evolv = China and Craftsman = USA, it would've been peachy. Hell, with that marketing model, they could've even raised prices on the Craftsman stuff.
I mean, you've got Harry Homeowner in the store. He sees a CMan 3/8 ratchet. $20! Well, there's this Evolv ratchet. $12.50! Both have a lifetime warranty (if you keep the Evolv receipt) so Harry Homeowner buys the Evolv.
Sears' major problem the past few years is they phased out Craftsman Pro so they only had the single line. Years ago they had Sears "Companion" which was the same as Evolv. Offshored, lower price, etc.
The only ray of hope here is: Does Wrenchr hail from Canada? Sears Canada has often gotten offshore versions of USA products.
rt dak
Well-known member
My dad just warrantied one of those ratchets a couple weeks ago. They gave a used rebuilt one instead of new.
powertrip
Well-known member
In what way is sears still leading consumers to believe there tools are usa made? They coo is usually found in the back of the packages. They are not coming out and saying "we only sell all usa made tools". Just curious as to how they are making a consumer think they are all usa made.
No I do not I hail from Canada, I hail from the good ole USA.
Well, ****.
In my store, there is a giant (think, 4' high by 20' long) raised set of signage on the back wall. It has their "Made in USA" logo, the Craftsman logo, and the Sears logo. I'll try to sneak out to Sears later and snap a picture of it.
I agree that all items are accurately marked but it still implies that Craftsman is Made in the USA.
Pro-Painter
Well-known member
With misleading website pictures and price tags. On craftsman's website it clearly shows the craftsman "professional" wrench sets as USA made for $99.99, But when you order them you get china made "full polished" wrenches. That is very misleading IMO.
They kept all the same part numbers and price tags from the USA stuff and switched it with cheap, poor quality china stuff. That is about as misleading as it gets. Now if they phased out the entire USA tools and added a new line of china tools for a china price then I would have no issue. But they dident....
Well, ****.
I agree that all items are accurately marked but it still implies that Craftsman is Made in the USA.
That's what they want you to think. I have been a very loyal Craftsman customer and over the last two years I have gotten very frustrated. The last two times I went I returned home empty handed. Both times I went to buy some items and they turned out to be made in China. If Im buying Chinese tools Ill go to to HF. Their prices are way to high for Chinese merchandise...
mrbreezeet1
Banned
Well, ****.
In my store, there is a giant (think, 4' high by 20' long) raised set of signage on the back wall. It has their "Made in USA" logo, the Craftsman logo, and the Sears logo. I'll try to sneak out to Sears later and snap a picture of it.
I agree that all items are accurately marked but it still implies that Craftsman is Made in the USA.
Sure it does. I agree!
They are the USA ones.
They're accurately marked because of evil government regulation. The markings, however, are tiny and generally hidden as best as possible. Look at the older stock with prominently featured "Made in USA" branding compared to newer USA stuff with much smaller "Made in USA" markings or the even newer stuff with "Made in China" hidden on the back.
The website is so out of date that they still show USA made tools for a number of things. I returned the long nose locking pliers I bought (Craftsman Professional) because the website showed "Made in USA" when I ordered them, but when I picked them up in the store they were stamped "CHINA". 'Course the return took all of twenty minutes because the point of sale systems are... awful.
TireTracks
Well-known member
This makes me sad.
DARKSCOPE001
Well-known member
This makes me sad.
It makes me sad too that they would throw out such a good name just to save some pennies. I really liked those ratchets. I wonder how long it will be before my nice new premium grade ratchets are made in china too? sigh well good thing the snappy guys comes into the hanger.
rockchucker
Well-known member
I tried to go get a few Ratchet Rebuild kits the other day. You used to just be able to go in and get a kit if you needed one no questions asked. The kid behind the counter said that I needed to bring my Ratchet in now. So I went home and got my Ratchets to prove I needed the kits. The kid called the other guy and he opened a drawer with a few mismatched Ratchets in it none of which were the style I have. He asked what I had and I said I needed rebuild kits for my 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" Drive Ratchets as they were all FUBAR'd. He then tried to trade me the rebuilt Ratchets in the drawer for mine! I grabbed my Ratchets and said NO WAY MAN! These have been with me for 15-20 years now and they have my blood in them. All I need is the rebuild kits. So yet another guy was called. This was the guy who rebuilds the Ratchets. He had to say he could not give me rebuild kits either then gave me the "Eye" to follow him. So I did and he took me back to his rebuild area and freely gave me the 3 rebuild kits. I said WTF???
He said' "Don't even bother asking it is just the way it is now." He even mentioned that it was less work for him and any ***** should be able to rebuild their own Ratchet. I agreed, gave him 5 bucks for some beer and left as he tried to hand it back.
What is wrong with this picture? Bunch of BS.
He said' "Don't even bother asking it is just the way it is now." He even mentioned that it was less work for him and any ***** should be able to rebuild their own Ratchet. I agreed, gave him 5 bucks for some beer and left as he tried to hand it back.
What is wrong with this picture? Bunch of BS.
UPDATE,
Like my O/P said my brother warrantied a ratchet, he was sure it was china but I was at sears today and the slim handled ratchets are Taiwan made and the RP ratchets are now china, 100% sure and I will upload some pics from my phone later on tonight.
Sorry guy's!!!! Not trying to mislead any of you.
Like my O/P said my brother warrantied a ratchet, he was sure it was china but I was at sears today and the slim handled ratchets are Taiwan made and the RP ratchets are now china, 100% sure and I will upload some pics from my phone later on tonight.
Sorry guy's!!!! Not trying to mislead any of you.
powertrip
Well-known member
Oh yeah, forgot about the outdated pictures on the web site. Could ne a possibly law suit.
kxxr
Well-known member
Wrenchr, what part of the usa are you in? Just wondering how long it might be before the rest of us start seeing these changes.